The APAC was born in 1972 in the city of São Jose dos Campos - São Paulo State, Brazil, through a group of Christian volunteers, under the leadership of the lawyer and journalist called Mário Ottoboni, in the Humaita Prison, to evangelize and give moral support to prisoners. Inexperience in the world of crime, drugs and prison led to the creation of a revolutionary experience. APAC meant "Loving the Neighbor you shal Love Christ."

In 1974, the team that was the Pastoral Prison, concluded that only one Legally entity organized would be able to face the difficulties and vicissitudes that permeated the daily life of the prison and so was established the APAC - Association for the Protection and Assistance to Convicted, a legal non-profit entity with the purpose of assisting the court in execution of the sentence, recovering the prisioner, protecting society, rescuing victims and promoting restorative justice.

So the APAC (Association of Protection and Assistance to Convicts) legally constituted entity, amapara the work of APAC (Loving the neighbor you shall love Christ), Penitentiary Pastoral, and also of other Christian Churches along the damned, respecting therefore the eacho one´s belief, in accordance with international and national human rights standards.

One sustains the other, although separate. It is the legal that guarantees the spiritual, and espritual, legal. Both serve the same purpose: to help the convicted to recover and reintegrate in social life.